Former U.S President George H W Bush described Gen. Schwarzkopf as “one of the great military leaders of his generation.”

Gen. Schwarzkopf spent his retirement in Tampa, Florida, where he had served in his last military assignment as commander-in-chief of U.S Central Command.

The BBC says his military success made him one of America’s most famous modern generals although some criticised him for negotiating ceasefire terms which allowed Saddam Hussein to remain in power.

President Bush, who was in office during the first Gulf War, said he “mourned the loss” of Gen. Schwarzkopf, “one of the great military leaders of his generation.”

Mr. Bush, who remains in intensive care at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, issued a statement, saying: “A distinguished member of that Long Gray Line hailing from West Point, General Schwarzkopf, to me, epitomised the ‘duty, service, country’ creed that has defended our freedom and seen this great nation through our most trying international crises.”